gvsi / ask

Ask

Ask was presented as a student led innovation which led to a pilot prototype in the summer of 2015 at The University of Edinburgh. Ask was created by two Informatics students who proposed that ask is the missing piece in establishing more dynamic, collaborative and interactive participation in course activities. "What we think would further enhance the student experience is the development of a comprehensive and modern platform aimed at creating a collaborative environment for students to ask and answer questions, get help and share ideas, thus complementing the University’s learning management system." This concept was supported by research from LEAF (Leading Enhancement in Assessment and Feedback).

Each university course will have its own ask dashboard, and students enrolled on these courses will be automatically subscribed if the instructor chooses to use ask during the term.

Although Users are required to log in via EASE, ask gives students anonymity options to encourage all students to ask and answer questions (inappropriate postings will be moderated and owners of anonymous posts can be identified from EASE authentication if necessary). The upvoting system and instructor endorsement will be functional in generating robust discussion creating an environment that is student-driven and instructor-controlled. Reputation and badges will stimulate students to participate in discussions and be further involved with the course and the platform.

We will be running a small pilot in 2 schools for 2016/17. One school will host Ask within LEARN and the other, which does not use LEARN, will host Ask separate to LEARN.

Ask can be accessed from here (requires EASE authentication): https://ask.sli.is.ed.ac.uk/